Quick Fix for a Leaky Heater Core
A heater core is the part of a vehicle's cooling system that is used to warm the passenger compartment. When it develops a leak, antifre...
A heater core is the part of a vehicle's cooling system that is used to warm the passenger compartment. When it develops a leak, antifreeze often leaks onto the floorboards of the passenger compartment. Simply shutting off the heat to the interior of the vehicle does not close off the heater core, and the leak will persist. There are some things you can do, however, as a quick and temporary fix for a leaky heater core.
Heater Core Details
The heater core is a small radiator in the dashboard of a vehicle. Coolant, usually antifreeze, circulates through the entire cooling system after the vehicle has reached operating temperature. When the passenger compartment heating system is turned on, a door opens to allow air movement from the heater core to the passenger compartment. At the same time, a blower fan moves air across the heater core and into the passenger compartment.
If a leaky heater core causes antifreeze to accumulate on the floorboards, an odor of antifreeze may be noticeable, and window interiors may become dirty or greasy.
The aroma and mess of antifreeze leaking into the passenger compartment will continue until the heater core is replaced or is isolated from the vehicle cooling system.
Fixing the Leak
The best way to fix a leaky heater core is to replace the heater core. That, however, is not always possible. A couple of options will buy some extra time before replacing the heater core.
Radiator stop-leak additives are available commercially. For small leaks, this may effect a temporary repair. Whether the leak is small enough to be repaired by the additive, or how long the fix will last, is found only through trial and error.
Another fix, recommended by the website TrustMyMechanic.com, works effectively to stop the leak but disables the vehicle's capacity to heat the passenger compartment.
The heater core is connected by a hose that brings the engine coolant to the heater core and another hose that returns the coolant to the rest of the cooling system. Disconnecting and clamping off these hoses effectively eliminates the heater core from the cooling system and stops the leak.
This repair is useful as long as temperatures remain mild. Vehicle owners in northern climates will likely need to replace the heater core before the arrival of winter.
